Tottenham Hotspur will make another attempt to sign Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes this winter after missing out on a deadline-day deal for his services in the summer.

That’s according to the Daily Mail‘s Dominic King, who wrote the Portugal international is “expected to leave in the New Year” after playing just 28 minutes of his club’s 2017-18 La Liga campaign.

Gomes moved to the Camp Nou from Valencia in July 2016 for an initial €35 million fee, per Goal’s Cesar Hurtado, with as much as €35 million more in potential add-ons, although close to none of those look likely to be met.

The 24-year-old has started just once this season—in the second leg of Barca’s Spanish Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid—and Sport‘s Rik Sharma last month hinted his days in Catalonia could be numbered:

Rik Sharma @riksharma_

Alcacer and Andre Gomes not in Barcelona squad to face Eibar. Doesn’t bode well for them. Umtiti rested.

2017-9-18 18:05:11

Barca manager Ernesto Valverde chose to invest in signing Paulinho from Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou Evergrande, offering more competition in central midfield and further distancing Gomes from the team.

Gomes would undoubtedly find the competition at Tottenham easier to overcome. The likes of Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele and Harry Winks would make for more appetising rivals than Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets.

It was back on deadline day that Sky Sports News presenter Jamie Weir said it was only Barca’s failure to secure an adequate replacement that prevented the club from selling their Portuguese misfit:

Jamie Weir @jamiecweir

Andre Gomes will NOT be joining #THFC tonight, as Barça wanted a replacement and couldn’t get Coutinho.
@SkySportsNews

2017-8-31 21:38:04

The January transfer window will give the Blaugrana their chance to land another central player should they deem it necessary, while Gomes’ valuation is at risk of falling further the longer he’s allowed to sit on the sidelines.

Gomes spoke to Portuguese newspaper A Bola (h/t Marca) last month and conceded his time in Catalonia had been a difficult one: “In the past, I had moments where I felt pretty bad. Playing in Barcelona is not for everyone.”

If the UEFA Euro 2016 winner had felt doubts regarding his future at the club before, the 2017-18 campaign isn’t likely to have boosted his confidence. After seven league matches, Gomes has been absent from the squad in two of those and an unused substitute twice also.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino may hand Gomes a January lifeline if the player is ready to leave Barca after only 18 months at the club, and he’ll hope he can restore the player’s previous potential in north London.